No Movement in NHL Talks

Discussions involving NHL and NHL Players’ Assn. officials remain at a standstill over a new collective bargaining agreement, leading NHL executive vice president and chief legal officer Bill Daly on Thursday to accuse the union of seeking a lockout to better its bargaining position.

After two days of meetings in Ottawa, the two sides are no closer to an agreement to head off a potentially lengthy lockout, which would begin as soon as the current agreement expires Sept. 15.

“I’m extremely frustrated,” Daly said. “I came to Ottawa for two days of meetings, hoping to move the process somewhat forward. It is clear to me they’re not engaged in negotiations. It is stall time, trying to get to Sept. 15. They may make a grandstanding proposal at the end of this, but I have grave doubts whether it will be meaningful in any way. They want to get a work stoppage. If they think they can do better in a work stoppage, then they are making a very bad bet.”

Ted Saskin, the union’s senior director of business affairs, was surprised by Daly’s strong comments, saying “how fundamentally different it is from what they’re saying within the room.”

Saskin also denied that the players wanted a lockout, pointing out that NHL officials would not budge from their desire for a salary cap, which the union strongly opposed.

“A lockout does nobody any good,” Saskin said. “It’s a ludicrous position. The players want to play hockey, but will only do so under a fair system.” He added that, “we are prepared to accept changes in the system.”

The sides will meet again Tuesday and Wednesday in Montreal.

In recent sessions, the sides have reviewed teams individually, at the union’s suggestion, leading to speculation that union officials would present a proposal in an upcoming meeting.

“They are not doing anything,” Daly said. “We’re talking about things totally irrelevant to the bargaining process. It’s wasting time. We have two and a half weeks left and they haven’t made a proposal since June 2003.”